Yesterday, March 28, was the last day of school before spring break. So my friend Katie and I just had to celebrate with ice cream and a little Goodwill hunting. I had to pick up everything for a grand total of a reasonable $15 for 5 quirky, cute items. I present to you my first ever thrift store haul. This is just riveting.
"Captain America is hot so I must purchase " was the logic behind this
I thoroughly enjoy this wallet, but alas I already own one so I gave it to my brother. It was too sweet to pass up honestly. I figured he would get more use out of it than me.
My birthday is in a few days so I thought that the best way to treat myself was with a 50 cent mug! And I couldn't be happier.
This tropical headband is just the right one to add to my collection. Forget diamonds, headbands are a girls best friend.
Now let's get to the sick nasty. This. Bank. Rock. My. Socks. I don't know how else to put it other than I'm in love. Just wait it get's better.
Yeah it just got better. Another bank. This Pepsi Cola vending machine is a little beat up, but who really cares.
It's hard looking like yourself sometimes. It shouldn't be, but it is. Your body plays tricks on your mind, and in return your mind plays tricks on your body. But you try to push past the fact that you have about ten pimples plastered on your face and instead tell yourself all teens get zits. And yet you still feel bad about it.
The song "Hard Out Here" by Lily Allen comes to mind when I think about how challenging it is to be a woman this day in age. I really admire how outspoken Lily is about many topics including how men objectify women. She also tackles the "Blurred Lines" lyrical issue and Miley Cyrus' racial controversy so this song is just kick ass.
If its not your face your feeling bad about it's your body. It's so different from the ones spread on the covers. We are told by society that celebrities and models are the standards for beauty. There can be no in-between beauty. You're skinnier than them then you have an eating disorder. You're thicker than them and you're an overweight beast. Well that's not fair to anyone. Even those models on the magazines know they're bodies are being touched to create an unreal and unachievable human body. Nobody can win.
This is why beauty seems to be so fake. We are rarely told that's its beautiful if someone helps someone. A woman is only beautiful in the media's eyes if she has impeccable skin, shimmering hair, and some kind of slim yet at the same time curvy body. It is really ridiculous the amount of worth we place on something we have little control of.
Sure this part of Mean Girls is funny at first, but that's because we know this is the truth of the real world. People think someone has more worth and more to offer if they fit society's framing of good looking.
The human body is beautiful in many aspects. It's not the number on the scale or the bumps on your face. It's the crinkling around the eyes and the wide open mouth formed from a laugh. It's the smile spread across your face that someone you love brings. It's the emotions our face expresses that is beautiful. It's the differences that are beautiful. All of the moles, freckles, colors, and shapes that are apart of someone can be admired.
Another issue I have with the society's idea of beauty is the thought that "You don't need makeup to look beautiful". It's in songs, magazines, and leaves people's mouths too often. If a man or woman wants to put makeup on their face for whatever reason, nobody has a right to tell them they shouldn't do that. If a girl feels beautiful without makeup then that's wonderful but if a girl likes to do and wear makeup then so what, it's her face. People put on makeup for different reasons. A lot of the time it's because it makes us feel better about ourselves. If we can feel better with makeup then we should wear it! There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with that.
It's not only the eyes that see beauty. Beauty surrounds us. The world itself hold so much beauty. The sounds of music, the feeling of a breeze on a warm day, the taste of a home cooked meal are all beautiful. Below is a little something I find so beautiful and I hope it brightens you're day.
Now isn't that something. Almost everyone that participated in this video was anxious and perhaps insecure about having to share a kiss with a complete stranger. A kiss is something that can be uniting. A mind and body experience even.
I feel that this video breaks a barrier. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there. It was as if in the kiss, both parties freed themselves and let down fears or walls they show to most. It was like they told each other a story in between the movement of lips. It was truly beautiful.
It's already too late to go back. Now that you have seen this post you have to continue onward and forever have the images of an amateur rapper in a camouflage doo rag body rolling to the words "Lemme smang it girl".
It all started with a man called Flynt Flossy. His desire to create an independent record label, creatively named Turquoise Jeep, lead him to produce the hit (I use that loosely) song "LEMME SMANG IT". The term "smang" is of course imaginary and a little vulgar. The combination of the words bang and smash were the spark that set this lyrical genius on fire. You can imagine where this is going.
I should just let you watch the video because honestly words cannot express the greatness of the visual effects, beat, and lyrics that is embodied in this one hit "wonder". Gosh I regret calling it even a one hit wonder.
Without further ado, here is the iconic video and song "LEMME SMANG IT" by Flynt Flossy, Yung Humma, and whatchyamacallit. And no I'm not kidding you because I really can't make this stuff up. Or can I...
*ALSO BE PREPARED FOR AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF HIP GYRATIONS AND BODY ROLLS. LET'S COUNT HOW MANY ROLLS THE DUDE IN THE DOO RAG DOES (probably close to like 5,493, but I'm no mathematician here).
So after growing out my hair for a good five to six years, I have come to learn the most effective tips and tricks in the hair growing game. I have some advice if you say got a "trim" and it was a bit too short for your liking or you just want to get your hair to 70's hippie status. Either way you're going to want to add some inches. So let's *cut* right to it! Oh I love a good pun.
A photo I took last weekend.
My hair is a bit longer when it's not curled obviously,
but you get the picture. She strikes again with another great pun!
So let's start with washing your hair. Rule number one is don't wash it a lot. For about two years I have been cutting down on the shampooing. It can be difficult at first if you have super greasy hair, but that's what dry shampoo is for! I recommend the Got2B Rockin' It Dry Shampoo from the drugstore. It's a big more expensive than say the Suave or Batiste, but it doesn't leave a residue like the other two do. Try to wash once every other day, but if you can do more that's great.
Using a deep conditioner in the shower can really improve the ends of your hair so you don't have to constantly be getting trims. I really like using Coconut Oil or the Macadamia Deep Repair Mask. I do this probably once or twice a week and my hair has become a lot stronger and softer by doing this consistently.
Once you get out of the shower, don't head straight to the blow-dryer and curling iron. Instead let it air-dry over night or throughout the day so you're do as little damage as possible. Utilize YouTube or magazines to find different hairstyles to try out if you get bored with the same old look. But you're hair will be praising you when you put down the straightener.
Keeping the products in your hair to a minimum is ideal as you're not going to be able to wash it out as quickly as you would like. I stick to the It's a 10 spray because it hydrates, detangles, along with eight other claims it makes. I would also suggest picking up a Wet Brush as it really gets out any tangles and doesn't damage your hair so there is very little, if any, breakage.
Get a trim here and there. Everyone is bound to get split and dead ends after avoiding the scissors for awhile. But just go in and get them snipped off. You really won't notice a difference if the hairdresser takes off the right amount, and you're hair will be a lot healthier.
I hope my compiled notes of how to grow out your hair will get you to Rapunzel status. Have a lovely day!
